Science

Millions of animals are killed by cars around the world every year, but there are sustainable ways to make the most of the unfortunate deaths. Credit: Deposit Photos Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Roadkill isn’t the most pleasant of subjects. As much as people

Megalodons went extinct about 3.6 million years ago, but their fossils are all over Maryland. Artwork by Nick Pike. Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. In a state better known for its delicious seafood and as the home of the United

On January 29, 1926, scores of scientists gathered in a cramped London lab. They were there to see something entirely new: a blindingly bright apparatus featuring neon lights, wire, and gears at one side of the room, a thick glass screen at the other. Suddenly, the glass screen came to life and the vague, flickering

For thousands of years, people have told tales of magical beings capable of moving through the world unseen—literally. From the wish-granting jinn of Arabian folklore to the shadow people of Inuit mythology, creatures possessing the fantastical power of invisibility have long captivated the human imagination. More recently, science fiction and fantasy series have popularized the

Our 2026 Best of the World list inspired you to hike South Korea from coast to coast, take an iconic road trip along Route 66, or plan a once-in-a-lifetime big five safari. For our Best of the World Wellness Experiences list, we hope to inspire you to slow down. From seaweed bathing in Ireland to

About 700 million years ago, Earth was entombed in a veneer of ice hundreds of feet thick—a frozen state scientists refer to as “Snowball Earth.” Oceans cooled but managed to retain some heat to avoid freezing.    Now, researchers have an estimate—published in  Nature Communications —of how cold and salty oceans were during this period.  By analyzing data from rock deposits, the study’s authors estimate that sea temperatures were 5°F (minus 15°C). That’s about 22°F (12°C) cooler

For less than two dollars, you can purchase a 10-pack of the bestselling pen in the world. Since being introduced in the 1950s, almost 150 billion Bic Cristals have been made. The pen is an exceedingly ordinary item found in most schools and workplaces across the globe. But it harbors a tiny secret. Inside the tip sits a one-millimeter-diameter perfect sphere made of tungsten carbide. It’s this minuscule ball that gives the pen its

Mathematicians are still trying to understand fundamental properties of the Fourier transform, one of their most ubiquitous and powerful tools. A new result marks an exciting advance toward that goal. Introduction Two centuries ago, Joseph Fourier gave mathematicians a magical technique. He conjectured that it’s possible to write almost any function as a sum of

De l'intérêt de limiter sa consommation de viande, voire de s'en priver, au bénéfice de sa santé. C'est un des arguments avancés par celles et ceux qui promeuvent le végétarisme. Mais savez-vous que cette question, ô combien d'actualité, divise les spécialistes depuis... le Moyen Âge ? C'est ce que nous raconte Bruno Laurioux , professeur

La mission Epsilon de Sophie Adenot va démarrer lors de son séjour dans la Station spatiale internationale (ISS), mais en réalité, le travail a déjà commencé au sol depuis des mois. Rémi Canton, Chef de projet vols habités au Cadmos (Centre d'aide au développement des activités en micropesanteur et des opérations spatiales), a coordonné la